These 15 Page-Turning Summer Reads Are Team Busbee’s Top Picks!
Best Summer Reads
Summer and reading just seem to go hand in hand. Life (usually!) runs at a somewhat slower pace, there tend to be more vacation days, and staying up late with a good page-turner may not be totally out of the question. If you’re lucky enough to spend some time by a pool, lake, or beach this summer (or even just some P&Q in your own backyard), now’s a good time to get your summer reading list ready. I reached out to Team Busbee and they had some amazingly diverse recommendations for summer reading favorites. Whether you love a romance novel or cracking the code on a good mystery, there’s something for you in this roundup! So, before you zip up that carry-on, be sure to toss in a good book or E-reader, and escape to…YOU fill in the blank.
If you ARE travelling this summer, this post has some outfit suggestions that will keep you looking fashionable without sacrificing comfort!
Team Busbee’s Summer Reading Recs
Since I was very young, I’ve loved libraries, bookstores, and getting “lost” in a book. My dad built us a “reading nook” under our stairs when I was growing up and that little space was filled with Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and so many of Judy Blume’s life lessons. When the Scholastic Book Club catalog circulated in elementary school, I couldn’t wait to start circling and dog-earing my picks. But, somewhere between having kids and other “adulting” things, I don’t find the time to read as much as I’d like. So, I’ve made a commitment to reading more this year and I’m once again addicted. If you too are looking to ramp up your reading this summer, here are some excellent suggestions from our team…keep scrolling for our Busbee Book Club picks.
Are you reading a great book right now? Please share the title and author so we can add it to our list of summer reads! Are you a Busbee Style newsletter subscriber? If you are, 🤗! But if not, you can click here to subscribe. We share some incredible (and exclusive) content like a summer lookbook of stylish outfits and packing lists too!
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Erin - Wellness & Healing
If you’ve been around for a while, you know how much I love to learn...like I'm truly life’s favorite student! I'm currently listening to 'Happy Days' by Gabby Bernstein. I've talked about Gabby before and how I've learned so much from her about manifestation, healing and recovering from trauma. If you are looking for a serious read and some self-growth this summer, 'Happy Days' would be an excellent choice.
I am all about a great suspense book. I just read 'The Silent Patient' by Alex Michaelides and thought it was really good. I prefer when chapters alternate perspectives between different characters and this one does just that. It’s also a quick and easy read. I truly did NOT see the ending coming...which is rare considering how many thrillers I read.
I’m now reading 'Verity' by Colleen Hoover and can't put it down...like I want to cancel plans to stay home to read it. I feel like I might already know how it'll end but the writing is so good I want to keep reading. Definitely a page-turner. I kind of wish I had saved it for an upcoming beach vacation so I could sit in the sand and just read it all day, start to finish.
I'm currently on the second book in 'The Silo Saga Omnibus' series: 'Wool', 'Shift', 'Dust' by Hugh Howey. I love this series! It's post-apocalyptic. The survivors are living underground in a huge silo and are not allowed to go outside. Should they ask to go outside their punishment is exile and death. Hugh Howey does a great job of worldbuilding and character development. Even if you aren't a sci-fi fan I think you should give this series a shot!
Stephan King's '11/22/63' is one of my favorite books I have EVER read! It's about an English Teacher from Maine who travels back in time to try and stop the John F Kennedy assassination. It's set among real historical events and has a dash of romance and sci-fi too.
Another favorite is 'Red Notice' by Bill Browder. It's a true story about a hedge fund manager that goes to Russia right after the end of the Soviet Union and quickly becomes an enemy of Putin. This book is a thriller mixed with a lot of history with so many parallels to what is happening in the region today.
Finally, 'All The Light We Cannot See' by Anthony Doerr is a beautiful story about a blind girl living in France with her father during World War 2. The author jumps back and forth between different time periods making it a little bit hard to follow, but it is deeply moving and well worth it.
'The Last Lecture' by Randy Pausch is about the "last lecture" by a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It covers the importance of overcoming obstacles, enabling the dreams of others, and seizing every moment. It's filled with so much wisdom and inspiration, even a dash of humor. It's the kind of book you can't stop quoting!
The book I can't wait to read is 'Bittersweet' by Susan Cain which is A NY Times best-seller with raving reviews. It touches on the power in accepting the bittersweet facets of life and how it leads to more creativity, connection, and transcendence. I really LOVED her first book 'Quiet', so I can't wait to read this one!
Here's what's on my bookshelf...first, 'The Lost and Found Bookshop' by Susan Wiggs. I love the idea of a story centered around a bookstore. This book explores the true meaning of happiness asking, “If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be?’ I can't wait to read it!
Also, 'The Latinist' by Mark Prins. I've heard great things about this book. And I love any new take on a well-known story. This one combines power and ambition with love and obsession – sounds riveting!
Finally, 'The Daughter of Doctor Moreau' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I love, love, love Moreno-Garcia! Her storytelling is amazing, and I will read anything of hers. This book won’t be released until mid-July but it can be preordered now. The description reads that it’s about action, romance and monsters...I’m in!
I just finished 'Defending Jacob' by William Landay and it was a page-turner. I love a good mystery/thriller. Getting into the mind of a character’s innermost thoughts keeps my adrenaline flowing. Particularly if there’s an unexpected twist in the storyline.
And now, my favorite! I just finished 'It Ends With Us' by Colleen Hoover. It's a PERFECT summer read if you just want some exciting and unexpected entertainment. It has romance, mystery (wait, aren’t those the same things?), and it’s a very easy read that I could not put down. If you truly want to escape into someone else’s world for a bit and enjoy a few unexpected twists and turns, this is the book for you!
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Books I’ve enjoyed this year…
The Overstory by Richard Powers
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Everything I never told you. By Celeste Ng
Thank you, Patricia! I will have to add these to my summer reading list for sure. Have a great week! Susan